Commissioner Putnam Recognizes Winners of Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Awards

Randall Weiseman Beef, Cattle, Dairy, Field Crops, Florida, General, Industry News Release, Livestock, Nursery Crops, Specialty Crops, Vegetables

From the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services:

FDACSPonte Vedra Beach, FL – Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam today presented awards to the three winners of the state’s Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award, which recognizes agricultural enterprises that are at the forefront of developing and adopting innovative and environmentally sensitive farming practices.

“The recipients of these awards have each demonstrated a sustained commitment to conserving our natural resources and improving our environment,” Commissioner Putnam said. “Whether producing milk, growing potatoes or cultivating nursery plants, they have all implemented best management practices that enabled them to reduce runoff and reuse water while producing high-quality agricultural products.”

The awards were presented this morning during a breakfast at the 73rd Florida Farm Bureau Annual Convention in Ponte Vedra Beach.

The recipients are:

• Riverdale Potato Farm in Elkton. Riverdale is a successful family enterprise that has produced hearty potato varieties for almost 30 years. Bryan Jones, farm manager, has developed innovative irrigation methods and equipment resulting in significant improvement in irrigation efficiency and reduced fertilizer runoff into the St. Johns River, while reducing operating costs and improving crop yields. Riverdale Farms uses a subsurface drip irrigation system that allows 90 percent water use efficiency, which greatly reduces the amount of surface water discharged from the edge of the field during irrigation events and storm events when compared to surface seepage irrigation.

• Agri-Starts, Inc. in Apopka. Randy Strode is the owner and operator of this nursery and it has become one of the world’s leading suppliers of tissue culture starter plants. Agri-Starts currently has 452 plant varieties in production and another 104 in research and development. Agri-Starts developed and installed a system of cisterns, which enable the nursery to capture and re-use rainwater for 100 percent of its production needs. To further conserve water, the nursery also uses mist propagation, hand irrigation and wet pads to cool the nursery and provide continuous moisture.

• Milking R Inc. in Okeechobee. Sutton and Kris Rucks are a 3rd generation dairy family and owners of nearly 1,200-acre dairy is home to 1,200 milking cows. Milking R also leases 2,000 acres for beef cattle and another 350 acres for row crops. When the Rucks built their existing facility, they consulted with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to design a model farm featuring a high-intensity area stormwater and wastewater system. Using the state’s Best Management Practices, the Milking R allows for the capture, storage, reuse and treatment of 100 percent of the wastewater produced on the farm.

Nominees from different areas of Florida’s agricultural industry were reviewed by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and industry and environmental groups. Environmental practices considered in the nominations include: Wildlife Protection and Habitat Conservation, Pesticide/Nutrient Management, Water Quality, Soil and Water Conservation and Waste Management/Recycling.

The Commissioner’s Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award has been presented annually since 1994. The program spotlights the environmentally innovative farming practices of the state’s growers and ranchers.

For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit www.FreshFromFlorida.com.